National Abortion Federation
Work Share
An opportunity to turn outrage into action.
In May 2022, word leaked out that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States. Anticipating Roe’s fall, a coalition of creative agencies formed to provide pro-bono work for pro-choice organizations. Thread was matched with the National Abortion Federation, the professional association for abortion providers that runs the largest multilingual abortion assistance hotline in the U.S. and Canada. Thread’s assignment was to create foundational branding and campaign messaging to launch the hotline to the general public.
“From the very beginning of our work together, Thread really understood the voice we were trying to implement and delivered effective, moving content that our team fell in love with. We received incredibly positive feedback from our stakeholders and are so grateful for Thread’s assistance at such a critical moment for our field.”
Melissa Fowler, Chief Program Officer, National Abortion Federation
A NEW AUDIENCE
The average abortion patient travels 25 miles to obtain care. After the fall of Roe, a patient in Florida, Texas or Louisiana might now have to drive hundreds of miles each way. NAF now had an urgent need to reach a national audience through their website and social media channels, letting them know they could get help, no matter where they lived.
A NEW NAME
Naming can be tricky and is often fraught with internal challenges. In this case, the client was reluctant to remove the organization’s name from its service, calling it the National Abortion Federation (NAF) Hotline Fund. Simplifying the name to the National Abortion Hotline was a linchpin to Thread’s brand strategy. In the end the strong, proactive new name, optimized for search intent, was adopted.
VOICE STRATEGY
Brand voice guidelines provide four clear rules so that anyone writing for NAF now or in the future can achieve the same consistent tone.
Voice comparison distills a brand voice to its essence, so someone unfamiliar with the brand tone can scan and grasp it instantly.
MANIFESTO
Thread also created a manifesto that positioned the National Abortion Hotline as a steadfast, trusted partner who deeply understands the stress of those seeking abortion care. The tagline we wrote was also used as the campaign hashtag, #ItsYourCall.
SOCIAL MEDIA HEADLINES
While the Roe v. Wade decision was still looming, NAF received an eleventh hour media opportunity. In a quick, four-hour turnaround, Thread came up with this headline series for social media.
NAF used Thread’s work across social media, where it outperformed NAF’s other content.
CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Quirk, a video agency based in Brooklyn, used our brand story work as a springboard for a video campaign featuring actress, comedian and activist Kathy Najimy.
